Just as the hero is the leader of China's fountain pen brand, the ostrich is a benchmark enterprise in China's ink industry. Tianjin Ostrich Ink Co., Ltd., formerly known as Tianjin Ink Factory, originated in the anti-imperialist patriotic period in the 30s, with the slogan of "the rise of domestic production", in 1945 developed a stable quality of iron tannins ink, which was widely recognized as a substitute for imported ink. It is the first and only "China Famous Trademark" and "China Time-honored Brand" in China's ink industry, with a market share of 35% in China, and was awarded the title of "China Ink King".
 
Due to the impact of keyboard input in the 90s, the writing ink market shrank sharply, and Ostrich transitioned its product structure to spray printing ink to successfully tide over the difficulties. At present, Ostrich's ink product line covers ink, inkjet printer ink, highlighter, gel pen, fountain pen and other pen matching inks, a total of more than 180 varieties, and the pen ink alone is divided into 9 series. Although the fountain pen industry is recovering, the timing of pure ink brands returning to the public eye is relatively lagging behind, and many products of Ostrich fountain pen ink have withered and are not in production.
 
In this situation, Ostrich has not forgotten to keep up with the trend and has frequently launched new products since 2017. Most notably, in 2018, Ostrich quietly launched the new 5 series of fountain pen inks. The reason why the ostrich is described as "quietly" is because the 555 carbon is the first nano-scale carbon ink in China, with waterproof, high blackness, and low probability of blocking the pen, with a price of only 10 yuan for 60ml, which should have shocked the market. But Ostrich never marketed, and Carbon 555 was widely known and still spread by word of mouth through forums. At present, 555 carbon does not have large-scale plugging pen feedback, and it is the most cost-effective black ink.
 
As a carbon ink, 555 carbon dries extremely quickly, so it is recommended for sketching, and it is not recommended to use it for too expensive fountain pens because there is a risk of drying the pen immediately after writing, otherwise there is a risk of drying the tip. The 553 Blue Black in the new 5 series uses the same modified iron tannins formula from 1945 to the present and is reliable for stability, but with a pH close to 2, it is also not recommended for precious fountain pens.
 
After the concept of the three characteristics of color and ink became popular in China, Ostrich successively launched the Flower Story Dazzling Series and Sheen Series Color Ink to cater to the preferences of Color Ink players. The three characteristics of color ink include shining, shading and sheen, and there has been no consensus on the translation since it was introduced to China, which can be roughly understood as pearlescent, gradient and reflective. Since 2017, the Flower Story Dazzling Series has launched 12 colors of dye ink every year, and 15ml is only 5 yuan. There is also a version with gold powder to achieve the shining effect, but unlike the gold powder ink of Dai Ami and J. Herbin, the gold powder ink of the ostrich is not dispersed enough, and the infusion pen is very easy to clog the pen.
 
It is worth recommending the Sheen series launched in mid-2018, 15ml is sold for 10 yuan, which can easily be released from Sheen, and the effect is better on sulfuric acid paper. However, as of the end of 2018, only five colors were produced: blue, green, black, purple, and red, and there were few choices. If you are a color ink player who values cost performance, you may be able to find a very cost-effective product by continuing to track the new moves of the ostrich.